Unette J. Smart

Unette Joan Smart was a beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. "Mother", as she was affectionately called, was born in the village of Parlatuvier, on the island of Tobago in the Caribbean. In her early teens, she relocated to the big city of Port of Spain in Trinidad, where she lived until adulthood. She eventually migrated to Canada and then to the United States where she spent most of her life. She was employed by the City of New York as a Home Health Aide for many years and worked tirelessly in this field until retirement in 2010.

She was very hard working, and kept her home immaculately clean. She enjoyed shopping for her brand new senior citizen apartment to make it comfortable and cozy. Her favorite past times were getting together with her friends, going to the casino, watching game shows like The Price is Right and Family Feud, and cooking her favorite meals. She enjoyed good home-cooked Caribbean dishes, and always looked forward to getting together with her son and his family for dinner, especially during the holidays. She never came to visit without bringing a small gift for the family or the children, and would ensure there was a poinsetta in the house every Christmas.

Although her life in the United States meant she spent many years hundreds of miles away from most of her children, family and even friends, she frequently kept in touch by phone, and would call friends and family in Maryland, New York City and Tobago, just to chat and check on them regularly. She didn't like to travel much, whether locally or abroad, but she would make the effort every now and again to visit her children in Tobago or in Maryland.

Mother loved to laugh. She was a petite woman but her whole body would shake when she thought something was funny. She would share funny stories with us-- about her life experiences, people she had met and things she had done. We will always remember her calm, gentle and reserved demeanor. How she would sit quietly in her own world. How she never bothered or disturbed anyone, and how quickly a tense situation would turn into an outburst of joy and laughter between her and her son Marvin.

She lived a long, full life, and we are grateful to the Lord for every moment of it. She gave her heart to Jesus Christ and made Him the Lord of her life. Mother would spend time reading the Bible, praying and watching her favorite Christian television preachers. She would even visit church from time to time when invited. We're thankful and we give God glory for her life, her love and the legacy she left in this world in the form of her beautiful daughters, son, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Knowing that she faced many challenges and adversities throughout her years, when we think of Mother, we remember this verse of Scripture, "Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come" Proverbs 31:25. Mother is rejoicing now, and we look forward to seeing her again in the time to come.